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City Council passed three measures relating to digital signs on Monday night that back its claim as a business-friendly governing body.

The board's unanimous votes modified recommendations by the City Planning & Development Committee, which had worked with the Genesee County Planning Board to revamp the city's sign code.

The first change reduces the amount of time that the message on an electronic digital sign could be changed -- from once every hour to once every 10 seconds. The second eliminates an annual $25 fee that would have been imposed upon a business owner to operate a digital sign, and the third "grandfathers" in digital signs that currently are located in zoning districts (such as Residential and/or Industrial) not authorized to have electronic message boards. 

"We're promoting small business, so I think we should leave it up to them (business owners)," said Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr., who instructed Council in the voting procedure. "Ten seconds ... keep it reasonable."

Prior to the discussion and vote, Council heard from Guy Clark, owner of Cedar Street Sales & Rentals, who has a digital sign but, under current rules, was unable to use it. Clark had previously addressed Council and the City Planning & Development Committee about the one-hour restriction.

Once again, Clark asked Council to permit the message to be changed every 10 seconds and to allow those with "nonconforming" signs to be phased into the code. He was supported by Batavian John Roach, who added that he thought the $25 annual fee was just another name for another tax.

"You (City Council) call it a fee, but it's a tax," Roach said. "I call it a money grab."

Council members agreed fairly quickly to approve the 10-second measure, and change the annual $25 fee to an initial fee of $25. They discussed for several minutes, however, the pros and cons of digital signs in residential/industrial zones.

Before the vote to grandfather the six property owners affected by the zoning requirement -- Cedar Street Rentals, United Memorial Medical Center, the two city high schools and two churches -- Councilman John Canale asked why digital signs weren't allowed in Industrial zones in the first place, noting that commercial ventures sometimes pop up in those areas.

City Manager Jason Molino said the rule of thumb is to keep digital signs in certain areas and away from people's homes as much as possible.

Following the vote, Council asked Molino and city planners to look into this issue and report back to the board.

Afterward, Clark said he was relieved by Council's actions.

"I think it's a very fair decision, and it certainly pleases us," he said. "And I was also concerned about an industrial center (that) opens up and a commercial business wants to go in there. So they left the door open a little bit for that down the road if someone did want to do that."

Clark said that along with messages that promote his business, he wants to put information such as time and temperature, and "put a funny little quote up there -- offer a free service for public, for not-for-profits. We'll put your message up there for you."

Another important change to the sign code is the elimination of county and city planning board reviews and special permits for those seeking area variances (example, changing the size of a sign), and enabling the applicant to go directly before the Zoning Board of Appeals. This modification would cut the approval process from 30 to 45 days to a day or two, Molino said.

Moving forward, Molino advised Council to schedule a public hearing on the sign code at its Dec. 12 business meeting for its first meeting of the new year (Jan. 9).

Press release:

Daemen College men's basketball player Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) has been named the East Coast Conference Rookie of the Week for games held Nov. 21-27. The official announcement was made via the league's weekly men's basketball report, which was released this afternoon from conference headquarters in Central Islip.

Redband, a 6-foot-7 redshirt-freshman forward, averaged 13.7 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block per game in three contests last week, while also shooting 51.7-percent from the field (15-for-29) and 55-percent from three-point range (11-for-20). Redband's efforts helped Daemen pick up a pair of wins to push out to a 5-1 record this season.

Redband opened the week by posting the first 20-point outing of his career in Daemen's 90-79 road win at Edinburg University last Wednesday (Nov. 23). The sharp-shooting forward canned five three-pointers in the first half, scoring 15 of his 20 points in the opening frame. He ended the game shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 6-of-10 from long distance, while adding five rebounds in what was the 300th win in the career of Daemen Head Coach Mike MacDonald.

Two days later, Redband started 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from three-point range as Daemen raced to a 19-point halftime lead over visiting Slippery Rock University. He ended up sharing game-high honors with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting (4-for-7 from three-point range) in the Wildcats' 12-point win (69-57). The victory moved Daemen to 5-0 for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

The Wildcats' winning streak was halted on Sunday with a 70-61 road loss at Mercyhurst University. Redband finished with five points, three rebounds and two blocks in a losing effort.

Redband's selection is the first weekly honor for a Daemen player this season. The Wildcats led the league in Rookie of the Week selections last season with six. Guard Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena), who is out for the entire 2016-17 season with an injury, was a four-time recipient, and Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) earned the honor twice.

Redband and the Wildcats begin ECC play this week with a pair of road tilts. Daemen visits Long Island University Post on Wednesday (Nov. 30) and the University of the District of Columbia on Saturday (Dec. 3).

For breaking news and continuing coverage of the Daemen men's basketball team, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenMBB on Twitter.

Photo courtesy Daemen Athletics.

UPDATE: I picked this up off of social media -- another former Batavia High School star having a good year so far at the college level is Jalen Smith, a guard at Hilbert College, who was the Alleghany Mountain Conference Player of the Week this week. "Jalen Smith led the hawks to a 1-1 record with averaging 27.5 points per game. He shot 57.7 percent from the field and 43 percent from the 3-point line. He led the hawks defense with four steal per game."

A nearly three-year in-depth look into the environment and its relationship with economic development has come to a close and the results should be beneficial to varying degrees across Genesee County.

That’s the perspective of Felipe Oltramari, Genesee County Planning Department director, concerning Smart Genesee/Green Genesee, an initiative that focused on the towns of Batavia, Alabama and Oakfield, and Village of Oakfield.

“It’s a scientific approach to looking at the natural environment – floodplains, wetlands – and its connectivity to development,” Oltramari said Monday. “This has enabled planners to view it as a system, and to come up with a ‘green’ road map for the county.  It’s another layer that helps us make decisions.”

The planning department worked with Sheila Hess of CC Environment & Planning of East Bethany, Barbara Johnston of LaBella Associates Inc. of Rochester and Matt Ingalls of Ingalls Planning & Design of Fairport, as well as town and village officials, to study each municipality’s environmental and economic strengths and weaknesses, and come up with recommendations to support future growth, policy and zoning procedures.

Some of the “strengths” that were identified included natural resources, location, new infrastructure, low taxes and low crime rate, while some of the “weaknesses” were New York State policies, regulations, laws and taxes; transportation issues; competing land uses; and an aging population.

More than half of the project’s cost – in real dollars and in-kind contributions – came from a $175,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

The four communities along with the planning department, Genesee County Economic Development Center and New York Green Inc., a nonprofit organization that guides conservation and community development in Western New York, provided the remainder of the funding, Oltramari said.

Oltramari said the four communities involved in the NYSERDA project are the ones that will be affected the most by the development of the WNY Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park in the Town of Alabama – which is preparing for the arrival of the 1366 Technologies solar wafer plant and the promise of hundreds of jobs.

“Each of the communities now has a map calibrated specifically for them,” he said. “Additionally, the towns of Batavia and Alabama have incorporated some of the committee’s recommendations into their Comprehensive Plan updates.”

(Toward that end, the Town of Batavia Planning Board has scheduled a training on SG/GG as it relates to its Comprehensive Plan for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 29) at Town Hall).

He noted that the SG/GG maps are serving as models for other communities, with the Town of Bergen and Town of Le Roy using some of its suggestions as leaders update their Comprehensive Plans.

SG/GG recommendations in the area of zoning pointed to a “hybrid” approach – using codes that maintain and protect the area’s rural character and natural resources.

The NYSERDA grant also provided energy audits of the communities’ facilities and vehicles, Oltramari said.

The Town and Village of Oakfield held public hearings on the subject in November. The Town of Batavia has scheduled a public workshop for 5 p.m. Dec. 7 and a public hearing for 7 p.m. Dec. 21 – both at Town Hall – while the Town of Alabama has scheduled a public hearing for 7:15 p.m. Dec. 17 at its Town Hall.

“Public hearings need to be held and then it is up to the local municipalities to decide if they wish to adopt any of the recommendations into their zoning regulations,” Oltramari said.

None of Notre Dame's hockey players will need to sit out the 2016-17 season, at least to start the year, state officials determined after hearing an appeal by school officials on a Section V ruling on eligibility requirements for two or three players.

Officials with NYSPHSAA kicked the appeal back to Section V to reconsider after finding irregularities with the initial ruling.

Wade Bianco, principal for Notre Dame, said he hopes to know by the end of the day today when the school and Section V officials will meet again.

He said he doesn't know what the impact would be on this season if Section V officials again reach an adverse decision based on new perimeters.  

"This their first time through this process and it's our first time through it all, so it's really something for the lawyers to work out," Bianco said.

Bianco said a top priority is protecting the students, the integrity of the coach and the school.

The names of the involved players have not been released, but in early November, Section V officials issued a decision after a hearing that at least two players were deemed ineligible for this season, citing possible violations of recruitment rules.

Officials with NYSPHSAA (New York State Public High school Athletic Association) were out of the office today and not available to provide more information.

Kayleigh Jean Allen, 24, of North Byron Road, Elba, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from lane unsafely. Allen was charged following an investigation into an accident reported at 2:36 a.m. Saturday on Route 98 in Alexander. The accident was investigated by Sgt. Jason Saile.

Maria Luisa Martinez, 21, of Chestnut Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Martinez is accused of stealing $70.18 in merchandise from Kohl's.

Batavia PD, with the assistance of Sheriff's deputies, is trying to apprehend a subject with possible mental health issues in the Clinton Street area. 

The person may be injured and may have a knife. 

The call began with a male and female dispute and the male threatening to hurt himself. 

The subject, in a white T-shirt, is now on foot and said to be running from police. 

Police are switching to encrypted communication.

A Mercy EMS ambulance is on standby in Aldi's parking lot.

 UPDATE 9:48 p.m.: Subject may have been located at Country Max on East Main Street. He may be injured. Ambulance dispatched. 

A three-car accident is reported on the eastbound Thruway in the area of mile marker 401.6.

Unknown injuries, but there was airbag deployment.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments along with Mercy EMS dispatched.

A first responder reports heavy traffic on the Thruway.

A motor-vehicle accident believed to be with a minor neck injury is reported at Ellicott Street and Main Street, Batavia.

City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 12:57 p.m.: Batavia PD on location reporting no injury.

More than dozen homes on Edgewood Drive, Batavia, are affected by a water main break today.

Town of Batavia crews are on scene and repairs will take up to two or three more hours.

UPDATE 6:30 p.m.: Supervisor Gregory Post informed reporter Mike Pettinella, an Edgewood Drive resident, that the main valve has been installed, and for all homeowners affected by the situation to turn their cold water on and let it run for 10 minutes to rid it of any possible discoloration. Crews are filling the large hole with stone, and have placed cones around the site as they continue their time on the job -- nearly nine hours.

UPDATE 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27.: Supervisor Post is on the scene, and indicated that corrosion caused a main valve to malfunction. A new valve has been delivered to the scene and crews are in the process of installing it and reconnecting it to the water line.

It's been five years since Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul first came to Batavia for part of her Christmas shopping and she noted today while standing outside Valle Jewelers how much things have changed.

For the better.

"Five years ago you would see one person, maybe two, in a store and you would feel kind of bad because I know hard it was when my mom had a little business and nobody walked through the door," Hochul said. "It’s a lonely feeling and I know how hard these people work."

Hochul owned a small shop in a WNY village at a time when most people were predicting decline for the area, but she stuck with it and that's one reason Hochul believes so strongly in supporting locally owned businesses.

"My connection with these people is that I feel that same entrepreneurial spirit (as her mother), true believers, people who never gave up in places like Batavia," Hochul said. "I come out and thank them for staying with it during the tough times and hopefully they’re very successful now as people are starting to rediscover downtowns."

There are new retail shops in Downtown Batavia and in addition to visiting her favorites, Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle, Charles Men's Shop and Valle Jewelers, Hochul also stopped in at The Hidden Door/Pollyanna & Dot and Foxprowl Collectables.

Hochul remarked on the great diversity of businesses helping to anchor downtown as a more vibrant shopping destination and that's good for all the businesses.

"The downtown has really come alive again and it’s satisfying for me to see," Hochul said.

Hochul was accompanied on her walk through downtown by City Manager Jason Molino, who shared information about the projects completed and underway that are transforming downtown, such as the planned brewery and restaurant incubator going into the former Newberry's building. Projects like those, and the new shoe store, a joint effort between Charles Men's Shop and p.w. minor, will only help draw more people to Batavia and to downtown, she said.

Hochul promised that the governor's office will continue to support programs that assist in local economic development, such as those that assisted in bringing new apartment units downtown and is helping with brownfield redevelopment and projects that will hopefully help the whole county's economy grow, such as STAMP -- Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park.

"There’s a direct correlation between a governor who has been paying attention to Upstate New York, and myself knowing it so well in the past five years, to where I really think we've made a difference," Hochul said.

An accident with possible minor injury is blocking in the area of 4138 W. Main Street Road, Batavia.

That's in front of the McDonald's.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS responding.

Le Roy Fire is responding to an accident on the Thruway in the westbound lane near mile marker 384.

Unknown injuries.

There is heavy front-end damage with airbag deployment. The caller didn't stop.

A car vs. pole accident is reported in the area of 6049 Ellicott Street Road, Bethany.

Injuries are reported.

The pole is down, but the wires are still in the air.

Bethany fire, Stafford fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 10:38 a.m.: National Grid notified.

UPDATE 11:51 a.m.: Photos by Glenn Adams. We've heard no more details on this accident and Glenn said he didn't have any details.

Today is Shop Local Saturday. Ironically, it's a national event pushed by a multinational corporation. Be that as it may, our readers know one of the underlying philosophies of The Batavian is that people should strive to shop at local businesses as much as possible.

In this day and age, it would be impossible in just about any community in America to shop in only local shops, but all over America, as in Genesee County, our communities are filled with vital local businesses.

Local businesses are essential to a community's health and prosperity. Social science research shows that communities with strong local business communities reap all kinds of benefits, from higher graduation rates to lower poverty rates and even a lower infant mortality rate.  

Local business owners help tie a community together. They volunteer more, give more and share more. They're part of our civic organizations and donate most to our local charities. Without successful local businesses, we would all be worse off.

There's been a lot of attention paid in this past election cycle to the idea that more of what we buy should be manufactured in the United States. That drive to bring manufacturing back to the United States means nothing if we're not supporting our local businesses. It's not that our local shops stock only American-made products, though that's more likely, it's that they are right in our community helping our community. If you truly want to see a great America, do something more than rally around manufacturing, support your local business owners, the people who live in your community and give to your community.

Here's a list of The Batavian's sponsors, which is a good place to start when shopping local for Christmas and into the New Year. We also encourage your support of the sponsors of the Pin Points bowling column, which runs every other Thursday exclusively on The Batavian.

We thank them for their support of The Batavian and thank you for your support of The Batavian and our community.

• Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle
• Advanced Podiatry Associates
• Affordable Floorcovering
• Affordable Monuments
• Alberty's Drug Store
• Alex's Place
• Batavia Country Club
• Batavia Downs
• Batavia Redemption Center, Eastown Beverages
• Batavia Showtime
• Batavia Tailors & Cleaners
• Bath Crafters
• Beds 'n' Bones Pet Lodge
• Belhaven Kennels
• Bill Fox and Son Construction & Remodeling
• Bontrager's Real Estate
• Bourbon & Burger Co.
• Bubba's Landscaping
• Byron Hotel & Trail House
• Cancer Services Program
• Carter’s Restaurant & Bar
• The Caryville Inn
• Castilone Chrysler Dodge Jeep
• CB Beach Mortuary
• Cedar St. Sales and Rentals
• Center Street Smokehouse
• Chap's Elba Diner & Catering
• Chesley's Auto
• City Slickers
• Classic Optical
• Continental School of Beauty
• Council Opticians
• Country Line Electric
• Crazy Cheap Cars
• Culligan Water Treatment
• Dan's Tire
• D&R Depot Restaurant
• Dave's Ice Cream
• Deep Blue Pool & Spa
• Derrick Monument Company
• Dolce Panepinto Attorneys At Law
• Dumbleton's Used Auto Parts
• Empire Access
• Empire Tractor
• Erie East Windows & Doors
• Fab Fajita & Pita
• Falcone Family Funeral & Cremation Service Inc.
• Fastec Automotive
• Ficarella's Pizzeria
• The Finishing Line
• First Choice Travel
• Floral Fantasies
• Foxprowl Collectibles
• Genesee County Emergency Services
• Genesee County Health Department
• Genesee Dental Group
• Gilmartin Funeral Home & Cremation Company Inc.
• Godfrey's Pond
• Gold N Times Auctions & Estates
• Greens of LeRoy
• H.E. Turner & Co.
• Hair Studio 25
• Hardcor Audio
• Harris Wilcox Inc.
• Haul-4-Less
• Head Games
• Henry H. Cook Inc.
• High Voltage Tattoo
• House of Kolor
• Humphrey's Electric & Security
• J. Leonard McAndrew
• Jagged Edges Salon
• John & Mary's

• John's Service Station
• Johnson's Elderly Care
• Karen's Yarn Paper Scissors
• Kati's Place Family Restaurant
• Ken Barrett
• Kiwanis
• Kreative Design Kitchen & Bath
• L&L Transmission, Inc.
• L.C. Mosman
• LJ Nails
• Lamb Family Medicine
• Lambert's Design Jewelers
• Le Roy Discount Liquor & Wines
• Le Roy Hearth & Home
• Livia Beauty & Spa
• Mane Attraction
• Manor House
• Matteo & Mullen, CPA
• Max Pies
• My Saloon
• O'Lacy's Irish Pub
• Oakfield Fitness
• Oliver's Candies
• Optique
• P&L Air
• Pastore's Pizzeria
• Pellegrino Auto Sales
• Queen of the Arts
• R&D Outlet
• RW Vapors
• Rancho Viejo Mexican Restaurant
• Realty USA - Robert J. Gerace
• Red Osier
• Reed Eye Associates
• Rider Real Estate
• Rochester Club West at Bohn's
• Rochester Regional Health
• Roxy's Music Store
• Sallome Heating & Cooling
• Santino's Pizza
• Scooter's Restaurant (Le Roy)
• Select Collision
• Settler's Restaurant
• Skyline RV Sales & Service
• Sloat's Tire
• Smokin' Eagle Brew & BBQ
• Southside Deli
• Stella Collision
• Student First Transportation
• T.F. Brown's
• The Insurance Center
• The Little Ridge
• The Oak Grill & Cafe
• Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel
• Tompkins Bank of Castle Insurance
• Toyota of Batavia
• Trash Away
• University of Buffalo
• Valle Jewelers
• Viking Valhalla/Rose Garden Bowl
• Vinyl Record Revival
• WNY Fireplace Outlet
• Walking In The Woods
• West Main Wine & Spirits
• Western Regional Off Track
• William Kent, Inc.
• Woody's Deli
• YMCA
• YWCA
• Yasses Construction
• Yngodess Shop
• Yume Asian Bistro

In farming, there's little time to dwell on losses and already the Torreys are moving on after a fire caused more than $3 million in losses to their Big O Farms onion packing and storage facility in Elba yesterday.

They're still shipping onions from two other facilities they own and making plans to replace the equipment lost in yesterday's fire.

"That’s what we’ve got to do," said Mark Torrey, who stopped by the scene of the fire at 5520 N. Byron Road this afternoon to meet an insurance adjuster. "That’s what keeps you going today. We got up this morning and had to figure it out. We had loads we had to get out today. We had to figure out how to get them out. We actually started working on that yesterday afternoon."

There were three lines of onion-packing equipment in the building, Torrey said. Some of the equipment was installed within the past year. The property is assessed at more than $400,000 and each line costs more than a half-million-dollars each.

"It's not something you can just buy off the shelf," Torrey said.

Most of the equipment is manufactured in Europe, so even if suppliers have already assembled the parts, it will take some time to get everything to Elba and get it installed.

Meanwhile, the Torreys still have onions from this season's crop to get to market and some 70 employees to keep working.

A few employees posted on Facebook about how sad they were about the fire and praised the Torreys as good people to work for.

"A lot of these people have worked for us for a long time," Torrey said. "They’re working in the other places (today), but yeah, we’ve got a lot of good employees and you try to treat them right."

The fire may have started with a tractor that was stored on the southeast corner of the building and had its engine block plugged into an electric socket to keep it from freezing. Nearly every fire department in the county, along with companies from Monroe and Orleans counties, responded to the Thanksgiving Day fire. There is reportedly a community effort underway to organize an event to recognize the volunteers.

Local contractor Vito J. Gautieri also was at the facility today. He built the plant in 1958 for the Ognibene family. He came with a model of a truss used in the main arched barn. The county's online property database doesn't list the size of the facility. Gautieri said it was greatly expanded from what he originally built, but he estimated the entire space to be about 25,000 square feet.

"It's the first building I ever built that burned down," Gautieri said.

Torrey acknowledged it's a difficult loss, but that the business will continue as usual.

"This is a big set back, but we’ve still got people, we’ve got product we’ve got to pack," Torrey said. "You’ve just got to get doing it and that sort of keeps your mind off of this today."

Previously:

• Barn fire reported in Elba
• Photos: Big O, Torrey Farms barn fire, Elba, Thanksgiving Day, 2016
• Torreys keep farming all in the family
• Large onion processing plant in Elba total loss after massive fire

A start-up in Oakfield made the front page of the The Wall Street Journal today (account required) as part of a story on a game that seems to be growing in popularity in some part of the country, even though it has been around a long time.

We've told you before about MöbileSchlägen, the portable version of a game that involves, traditionally, a tree stump, a nail, a hammer, and beer. MöbileSchlägen was invented -- they actually got a patent on the key technology -- by Marc Johnson, James Betters and Dan Mangus. Their big innovation was the sturdy stand that holds a stump-like piece of wood into which game players pound nails.

A reporter for The Wall Street Journal visited Oakfield a couple of days ago to learn more about the game and wrap mention of it into a story she was working on about the rise in popularity of Hammerschlagen, or Stump.  

The game has become popular enough, as reporter Rebecca Davis O'Brien notes, that there has even been a little legal wrangling over who owns the rights to it. Jim Martin, of Lake Elmo, Minn., asserts he owns the trademark for Hammer-Schlagen. According to the WSJ article, Martin has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a competitor, The Stump Company, and has also sent messages to Johnson and his partners. (He also contacted The Batavian demanding that we correct our previous story and include mention of his company and what he says are the true origins of the game.)

Johnson said their version of the game is gaining interest and they should have a product ready for market soon.

Also, here's a couple of photos Johnson supplied from the Oakfield Historical Society, from a company picnic for U.S. Gypsum in the 1950s, showing a similar game being played locally.

Here's the company's promotional video:

Photos: File photos

Press release:

The Genesee Society of Model Engineers will host the club's Annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 3rd, at the club's facilities at 50 Main St. (Route 63), Oakfield (above the M&T Bank). The free event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The club's facilities feature operating layouts in O Gauge (Lionel), HO & N scale as well as push trains for the little ones. Refreshments will be served and club members will be available to answer your model railroading questions. Fun for kids of all ages. Stairway access only.

"The Christmas holidays seem to bring back those childhood memories of a model train around the Christmas tree," says club President Mike Bakos. "Our members are keeping the traditions of trains and the holidays alive. We invite you to visit and enjoy one of Genesee County's best kept secrets." 

The Genesee Society of Model Engineers is located at 50 Main St. (Route 63), Oakfield, (above the M&T Bank) and is open Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. Business meetings are held the last Tuesday of each month. Visit www.gsme.org.

It's been more than 12 hours since the first alarm sounded for a barn fire at  5520 N. Byron Road in Elba and volunteer firefighters are still on scene.

On Thanksgiving Day.

It was a massive fire. It consumed the entire onion packing and storage facility owned by the Torrey family. It's a facility that 15 years ago was owned by the Ognibene family, hence the name of the business location, "Big O Farms."

The facility is just a mile or so north on Transit Road from the Elba Mucklands, where the Torreys are one of the largest onion growers in the county.

Family members told firefighters that most of the recent season's crop was stored at other locations, so while about 1,000 crates of onions were lost, most of this season's harvest was not in the building.

What was in the building was all of the company's sorting and packing machines, all of which were destroyed in the fire.

"Obviously, these agriculture-design buildings have no built-in protection systems, so that’s a game changer for us," said Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator. "Then not having the adequate water supply for us initially, we were playing catch-up the entire time."

Clearly, the fire started in the southeast corner of the building. The cause, however, is unknown. Yaeger said investigators will look at electrical and equipment as the potential spark that lit the inferno. 

Elba crews were first on scene and started an exterior attack. Yaeger said that it's possible even by that time, given the wide-open spaces inside the building, the fire could have spread extensively.

It didn't take long for flames to reach the west end of the building, and a short time later, five- and six-foot high flames could be seen flitting through the roof.

Heavy equipment was brought in to knock down walls and open holes in the roof to help firefighters get water onto the fire.

But all morning, the water supply was a major obstacle to fighting the fire.

There was only one low-volume fire hydrant in the area, so as many as 20 tankers were called in from four counties to help shuttle water from fill sites (ponds, generally) and to porta-ponds set up on North Byron Road.

"Some of the primary fill sites weren’t adequate because of the drought we had this past summer so they had to establish and look for other fill sites, which unfortunately were further away," Yaeger said. "Some points were four, five, six miles away."

While nobody wants to be dragged away from friends, family, parades and football to fight a fire on Thanksgiving Day, the timing of the fire had one benefit: plenty of manpower. Many volunteers were home today instead of at work on a typical Thursday.

"I was fearful on the way here when the alarm came in, you know, people go away, go to visit family, a lot people go out of town, so I was concerned about what our manpower situation was going to be," Yaeger said. "Surprisingly, it may have worked in our favor. We had more than adequate manpower."

Every fire company in Genesee County was mobilized in some way for the fire. If the department wasn't on scene, and most of them were, they were acting as standby or fill-in for the departments who did respond.

Responding from the county included Elba, Byron, South Byron, Bergen, Oakfield, Stafford, Alabama, Alexander, Le Roy, East Pembroke, Bethany, Pembroke and Indian Falls, with Darien and Pavilion placed on standby or fill-in.

Departments from Orleans County, including Albion and Barre, responded, as well as Brockport from Monroe County and inmates from Wyoming Correctional Facility.

All volunteers, all giving up all or a portion of their Thanksgiving to fight a fire.

But Yaeger suggested we not concentrate on the sacrifice of the volunteers.

"It’s difficult, but our hearts and thoughts go out to the business owner," Yaeger said. "That’s the primary concern. We don’t ever want to see this kind of destruction. It’s a total loss. That’s our real thought. For the firefighters, to be away from their families is difficult, but that’s what we do. In times of need, the fire services have got to be there and we were. It’s unfortunate it was today."

Previously: 

• Barn fire reported in Elba
• Photos: Big O, Torrey Farms barn fire, Elba, Thanksgiving Day, 2016
• Torreys keep farming all in the family

Photos from the fire that broke out about 7:30 a.m., today, at Big O Farms, a property of Torrey Farms, where onions are processed.

We'll have more coverage later. Initial coverage, here.

Give thanks for our volunteer firefighters.

A barn fire is reported at 5520 N. Byron Road. Elba and Byron fire departments are responding. "It is believed to be 'The Big O', which is the onion growing company's name. Smoke is seen coming from the structure.

UPDATE 7:35 a.m.: This is a confirmed, working barn fire. Town of Batavia Fire Department is called to stand by in Elba's fire hall. Bergen, Oakfield and Stafford are also called to the scene.

UPDATE 7:39 a.m.: This has gone to a third alarm. Alabama, Alexander, Bethany and East Pembroke fire departments are also called to the scene, along with the Town of Batavia's ladder truck.

UPDATE 8:05 a.m.: South Byron Fire Police are called to shut down traffic at North Byron and Transit roads. Churchville is asked to fill in at Bergen's fire hall.

UPDATE 8:17 a.m.: Alexander, Darien, Pembroke and Indian Falls are asked to have crews stand by in their respective fire halls in case needed. Two tankers out of Brockport are requested to the fire.

UPDATE 8:48 a.m.: National Grid is on scene. Barre is responding. Attica is asked to fill in at Alexander.

UPDATE 9:12 a.m.: "We have rolling flames," says a firefighter.

UPDATE(S) 10:49 a.m. (by Howard): When I left the scene 20 minutes ago, the fire was still burning. Fire crews are likely to be on scene all day.  I'm going to start working on my pictures and head out later for follow up.

UPDATE 11:14 a.m.: This story from 2013 contains some shots of onion processing in this building.

UPDATE 12:23 p.m.: Le Roy's rescue engine is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 12:32 p.m.: Pavilion being requested to fill in at Le Roy's hall. (CORRECTION: Pavilion asked to stage in their own hall to cover Stafford and Le Roy)

UPDATE 1:36 p.m.: A man just showed up with "a bunch of Thanksgiving dinners" for the firefighters.

UPDATE 1:42 p.m.: Le Roy returning.

UPDATE 2:23 p.m.: Alexander is returning.

UPDATE 2:36 p.m.: Several other departments have been released, including all of the out-of-county departments

UPDATE: More coverage here.

UPDATE 4:59 p.m.: Town of Batavia's Ladder 25 is back in service.